Internet security is becoming more and more important, as cybercriminals find ever-more ingenious ways to access our data and accounts. You may think you are already protected, but as threats change over time, so does the recommendations on the best way to stay secure, so it’s worth checking you are doing everything you can to keep yourself safe online.

Stop anyone getting in

Anti-virus software is still essential for basic security. It may not be a guarantee against attacks, but it will deal with any existing malware and virus threats and will take care of pretty much everything for you, with only the newest and most ingenious codes getting past your defenses. Password security is another oldie, but goodie, and the more complex and unpredictable your password is the harder it will be to crack. Websites are increasingly requiring better passwords with longer strings of characters containing upper and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters. If you are hopeless at remembering passwords, use a password manager service rather than writing your security information down. You can also use lock-down security measures like two-step authentication, where the website you are accessing sends you a code via your cell phone that you must enter onto the screen. The technology for this is evolving too, with external key devices and pre-set cell phone key authentication methods now available. Biometrics are finally starting to make their presence felt, and are a sound way to stop anyone except yourself accessing your devices.

Use smart systems

Make sure your software is up to date so that any security upgrades are active. Software companies release patches or new versions of their programs as soon as they can combat a new threat, so you need to update your system to protect yourself fully. New security threats are proving more difficult to detect as the malware is using familiar code to bypass the anti-virus software, so don’t take any chances – apply your patch as soon as you get it. Proxy servers can be useful in certain situations, for example, you can set them to block known malicious sites and provide encryption services, particularly useful for businesses. Using a proxy can also keep your IP address and location private, making your Internet use more anonymous. You can find out about proxy servers at tech specialist sites like White Summary, but make sure using a proxy is right for your circumstances as they do have their own pitfalls.

Keep up to date on security developments and be aware of new threats to your system and how they are transmitted. Backing-up your files may be boring, but it is essential. A few minutes taking care of this every day could mean you will avoid the possibility of losing everything on your hard drive, should you suffer an attack. Ransomware is being more widely used, where the criminal takes control of your computer system remotely and threatens to delete all your files unless your transfer money to them. If everything is backed up, you do not need to worry, as their threat is pointless – even if they wipe the computer you have all the files on a remote hard drive or secure cloud storage so that you can restore everything very easily.

Nowadays, businesses rely on digital marketing campaigns to get their products and services out in the market. One of these successful marketing campaigns is called pay per click or PPC, which is a popular way of advertising across different platforms, whether that’s through search engines, web pages, or within applications.

If you’re interested in performing a PPC marketing campaign, then here are a few things you need to know. Here are the pros and cons of PPC:

PPC Marketing Pros

PPC usually comes with remarketing.

Remarketing or retargeting is a digital marketing strategy that uses the information of your website’s past visitors in order to show them your ads when they browse the web. This is how remarketing works. When a user visits your website, they get tagged based on the categories that you set up, so that when they perform a similar search online, your ads will appear as sponsored links on the search engine or as banner ads, whenever they visit a different website. Remarketing actually drives up customer/audience retention.

PPC is more effective than SEO.

Search engine optimization (SEO) heavily relies on keywords to target users. However, it is not as accurate as pay per click in terms of the amount you pay as the advertiser. With SEO, you likely have to pay a monthly subscription fee, whereas PPC only charges you with a certain amount when a person clicks on your ads. Hence, the term “pay per click”. At the same time, the return on investment on a PPC marketing campaign is usually bigger than that of SEO. Because only people with real interest in your products and services will likely click on your links, there’s a higher chance that their clicks will get turned into actual sales.

PPC Marketing Cons

PPC is not beginner-friendly.

Pay per click can be a bit complicated because it requires a lot of technical knowledge about digital marketing. If you decide to release this type of marketing campaign, you may want to consider hiring a pay per click agency to help you with the complex stuff. A pay per click agency will guide you through the technical side of digital marketing, so that you can allot your budget in a way that maximizes results.

PPC comes at a cost.

For small businesses that are only starting to learn about digital marketing, they may get discouraged with the costs that come with a pay per click marketing campaign, even though it is comparatively cheaper than other forms of digital marketing. Aside from hiring a pay per click agency, there are other costs that you need to consider. Competitors may even drive up the cost of your campaign by deliberately clicking on your ads—this means that each click will not be translated to an actual sale. Therefore, even though a pay per click agency will come at a cost, it is smart to hire one, so that you have someone who knows how to strategize, given the current market competition.

With any business decision, you need to consider the pros and cons. While PPC isn’t all good, it’s clear that the good outweighs the bad. For new businesses, this may be a good way to start a digital campaign.

With the Christmas season right around the corner it’s easy to get wrapped up in the rush to get gifts ahead of the crowd and to make sure that nothing is sold out before you get there. Then you have the option of whether you do your shopping online or in store. Which is better? Many people will use a combination of both and it seems to work well for them and for good reason. But what are some pros and cons to online versus in store and how do they influence how we buy?

Online

Shopping online can be such a great way to get the things we need and want without leaving the comfort of our sofa. You can also sometime score a good deal and save some money online too. With online stores offering multiple ways to pay as well as various delivery or pick up options too, it’s easy to see why online shopping is becoming the more popular option. But sometimes you may find yourself strapped for cash before the holidays, or have a low credit card limit due to bad credit but you desperately need that special gift you found online now? SwiftMoney can process your payday loan quickly and you can borrow for up to a year too meaning you can do more shopping online right now and worry about it later when you have more money at your disposal. Perfect for the Christmas season when costs seem to get on top of us. Another benefit to online shopping is the fact that with multiple options to shop from such as Amazon, you can almost always find that product you want in stock somewhere at any given time.

In Store

The benefit to in store shopping is that you can physically see things before you purchase them. This can be a problem online in the sense that sizing in clothes can be off or that lamp you bought your mother for her birthday can actually fit in the palm of your hand. Unlike shopping online as well, shopping in store means you can have the item today instead of having to wait on shipping and then potentially missing the delivery if you aren’t around and then having to organise a time to go and pick it up. In store can also be more enjoyable and get you out and sociable with others rather than just sitting inside clicking “Add to Cart” alone in your house. In this sense, store shopping is better than online. Plus sometimes you go to your favourite shop and find they’re having a sale and you end up saving much more than you would online!

So which is better? While they both have pros and cons everyone has their own preference. With online shops like Amazon offering just about everything on the planet these days though, online seems to be slowly overtaking the high street in terms of available items and preference for shopping – especially around the holidays when you can have huge queues of in store shoppers to deal with and patience wears thin as the days flick by to December 25th!